[Like most times, he literally has no idea what to do with Madoka so he just sits up and lets her do that, blinking at her from behind the mask.]
...I'm not sure that matters much, Madoka. Thanks. [It's thoughtful, and yeah, he's taking a peek into that box to see said-shortcake.] They look pretty okay to me.
[There's a small pause before Cunning reaches up, twisting his mask to his left just enough that it's still on his face to obscure most of it, but his mouth's free. Madoka will see that whoever Cunning is, he's someone with slightly tanned skin, a strong jaw, and a thick, pale scar that comes down to his chin and disappears somewhere up inside his mask.]
...figured out I could do that. [It's mostly a case of he doesn't feel like taking the full mask off, for some reason, but here we are.]
Yeah, we can. [The problem with Cunning moving the mask is that Madoka can also see that he's grinning slightly as he takes what she's cut up.] It'd be kind of a bummer not to be able to try it while you're here, wouldn't it?
You've been patient by playing this game. We have a reason to celebrate, so we should. [Catching Newt was a damn relief, and so he's grabbing a fork from wherever to cut out a piece from his slice of cake.]
There's a reason we've been trying to get you guys to talk to everybody...and the host weeks. If we're out there, it's harder for you guys to ignore us, isn't it? That's why this competition exists. All of us have ideas that would probably work, but none of us can agree. We were hoping you guys could, but it takes more than just talking to us once and sticking with one god.
[With that, he takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully for a moment.] ...this turned out just fine, by the way. Good job.
Thank you...! Uehehe, I've probably done more cooking these past couple of weeks than I ever did at home.
[ . . . maybe that's not really something to be proud of? anyway ]
Mm. I thought about going back to Sincerity, but... Instead I'm going to stick with you a little longer and see how that goes.
The truth is, I think all of you would do fine. So far I haven't heard anything unreasonable. And what I really think is that - you'll all still be working together forever, after all this. No matter what we choose, I think you would end up sorting it all out, even if it takes time.
[He's about to comment on the cooking thing, but then she says literally all of that and it's not at all hard to see that he's blindsided by that. His fork hovers and he's staring at her from behind the mask (sort of, it's hard to see when it's a little skewed so the eyeholes don't match up) for a moment.]
...so like a leap of faith. [That's...surprisingly mature.] That's maybe one of the most reasonable things I've heard from any of you this whole game. And I can't even say you're wrong. We're all going to work together long after you're gone, so it's just what ideas you think would make that easiest.
Maybe that's what we haven't been looking at.
[A beat.] Nothing wrong with learning to cook away from home though. That's how I learned, too.
[He's busy trying to grapple with all of this, thanks.]
I wish I had learned earlier so I could have helped Papa out more. But that's okay, I guess it doesn't matter so much anymore.
[ She does not seem to be having any trouble going back and forth between the casual talk and the Deep talk. Such is life!! ]
I don't think a perfect world is possible. And even if it were, I don't think it would stay that way, because people will still make it imperfect, and the world is going to move and change forever. I still want to make a good choice, but I think that as time goes on, you'll probably fight over who's really in charge less and less.
You'll be gods for eternity. That's a long time to get it right.
There's a lot I wish I'd learned back then, too. Can't do much now but move forward and you're helping people here, aren't you? That probably counts.
[Thanks Madoka.]
That's what bothers me about all of these idealistic ideas everybody keeps talking about. I get it, you all want peace and love and whatever but it's not gonna happen, so we should focus on a world that's going to be fair to everybody no matter what happens. If we can get a world where people aren't ignored, things are fair and a balance can be attempted that's enough. [A thin smile.]
We haven't been together for that long, and sometimes I dread being part of this particular pantheon considering who's on board, but you're right. We have eternity to get it right or mess it up. So. We're hoping to at least start the right path before you guys go back.
...and I know a lot of you hate the idea of this being a killing game, but death is as important as life. That's what people aren't getting. It's how things continue growing and changing.
[ Madoka barely murmurs that, but shakes her head and moves on, a little more eager to brush past it than the rest. ]
A-anyway, I think - I'd like to hope that everyone wants the best for that world. Even if your ideas for it aren't the same, you'll balance each other out. I would rather hope for that than expect that you mess it up. Even if it's messed up for a while, it'll still improve.
But something like a killing game... It's true that death is an important part of the cycle - but it's still hard for me to accept this as necessary... A lot of them aren't used to seeing death.
Try telling that to some of the others. A few of us have pretty big egos that might disagree with that. [It's a little self-deprecating but at the same time he can at least admit it. ]
I think the logic of it all was that if you had a wish that you wanted so badly, you'd do anything for it. Maybe people aren't used to it but that also doesn't mean it doesn't exist. [Though...] You tryin' to tell me you're used to it?
[ She mulls over the best - the softest - way to explain it. ]
It's my job to see magical girls off when they're at their end. It's like you said - death is a part of the cycle, and in my universe... I'm the law of cycles.
If I were like you, I would be "Hope."
[ Hm, it's actually her first time saying something like that, although she's been thinking it over since she got here. She shakes her head. ]
No, I'm sure that it's different. But I think it would be nice not to be alone.
[How the hell did Madoka actually get Cunning to stop being an asshole, this is so very confusing. He seems to think on that...]
Hope. Suits you, from what I can see. [There's a nod to himself.] Where you're from, as someone watching over the cycles of life and death, do you come from somewhere rebirth exists? Or do magical girls get one shot and at the end that's it?
[ She has to think on that, taking her time to munch on some cake. ]
I don't know, actually.
The cycle of magical girls used to be to fight witches until they give in to despair and become one themselves. My job is just to erase the witches before they're created, allowing girls to pass away in peace without having to turn on the world they once protected.
But because I'm removed from the cycle itself and exist only as a concept, or as a paradox... I don't really know if something like reincarnation exists. If it does, it's not something I can observe.
Sounds like a pretty hard job. It means knowing where witches are coming from, finding a way to erase them, and kind of managing the whole world. Not that being a magical girl sounds much safer. [Fighting witches, huh.]
In a case like that...does that mean you're really not real? [Maybe that explains why Madoka's so. Madoka.]
[ Madoka ignores that entire first part, because she doesn't want to linger on the difficulties. It's hard, but for some reason she doesn't want to admit it right now. ]
I'm real. I may not exist within time and space as a person anymore, but I'm real.
Good. [He seems weirdly serious about that, too, even while he's sitting here eating shortcake.]
...in our world, people like me are allowed an option of trying to be reborn after they die. Start the cycle all over again, maybe change their powers, live a short life and die again. You do that three times and live a good life all three times, you earn a ticket to a perfect paradise. So you can see why I asked how it works for you.
[Because if Madoka's out of the cycle then does that mean she's bound forever? The magical girls? Everything.]
Most of our lives were difficult in the first place. [...]
But. That's depressing, so maybe we should talk about something else? [He's. Trying to be nice.] I'll admit, most of you don't actually stick around long enough to have a real conversation.
[ Madoka nods agreeably, but looks thoughtful for a long quiet moment, trying to think of what else to talk about. Current events is not exactly an uplifting subject around here. ]
I think everyone is just nervous. We're all trying to balance our time with each other, on top of the gods.
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...I'm not sure that matters much, Madoka. Thanks. [It's thoughtful, and yeah, he's taking a peek into that box to see said-shortcake.] They look pretty okay to me.
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I tasted everything as I was going, but I couldn't really taste the finished thing without cutting into it, and I wanted to do that together.
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Oh! The mask...
[ he can't even fuckin eat it while she's here. she completely forgot. ]
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...figured out I could do that. [It's mostly a case of he doesn't feel like taking the full mask off, for some reason, but here we are.]
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Oh, good! Then we really can eat together.
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[ that kind of over-the-top determination means that she absolutely could not. ]
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[ once he's eating, Madoka will start munching too, taking her time to sip tea between bites. ]
It makes it hard to pick anyone as better than anyone else.
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[With that, he takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully for a moment.] ...this turned out just fine, by the way. Good job.
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[ . . . maybe that's not really something to be proud of? anyway ]
Mm. I thought about going back to Sincerity, but... Instead I'm going to stick with you a little longer and see how that goes.
The truth is, I think all of you would do fine. So far I haven't heard anything unreasonable. And what I really think is that - you'll all still be working together forever, after all this. No matter what we choose, I think you would end up sorting it all out, even if it takes time.
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...so like a leap of faith. [That's...surprisingly mature.] That's maybe one of the most reasonable things I've heard from any of you this whole game. And I can't even say you're wrong. We're all going to work together long after you're gone, so it's just what ideas you think would make that easiest.
Maybe that's what we haven't been looking at.
[A beat.] Nothing wrong with learning to cook away from home though. That's how I learned, too.
[He's busy trying to grapple with all of this, thanks.]
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[ She does not seem to be having any trouble going back and forth between the casual talk and the Deep talk. Such is life!! ]
I don't think a perfect world is possible. And even if it were, I don't think it would stay that way, because people will still make it imperfect, and the world is going to move and change forever. I still want to make a good choice, but I think that as time goes on, you'll probably fight over who's really in charge less and less.
You'll be gods for eternity. That's a long time to get it right.
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[Thanks Madoka.]
That's what bothers me about all of these idealistic ideas everybody keeps talking about. I get it, you all want peace and love and whatever but it's not gonna happen, so we should focus on a world that's going to be fair to everybody no matter what happens. If we can get a world where people aren't ignored, things are fair and a balance can be attempted that's enough. [A thin smile.]
We haven't been together for that long, and sometimes I dread being part of this particular pantheon considering who's on board, but you're right. We have eternity to get it right or mess it up. So. We're hoping to at least start the right path before you guys go back.
...and I know a lot of you hate the idea of this being a killing game, but death is as important as life. That's what people aren't getting. It's how things continue growing and changing.
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[ Madoka barely murmurs that, but shakes her head and moves on, a little more eager to brush past it than the rest. ]
A-anyway, I think - I'd like to hope that everyone wants the best for that world. Even if your ideas for it aren't the same, you'll balance each other out. I would rather hope for that than expect that you mess it up. Even if it's messed up for a while, it'll still improve.
But something like a killing game... It's true that death is an important part of the cycle - but it's still hard for me to accept this as necessary... A lot of them aren't used to seeing death.
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I think the logic of it all was that if you had a wish that you wanted so badly, you'd do anything for it. Maybe people aren't used to it but that also doesn't mean it doesn't exist. [Though...] You tryin' to tell me you're used to it?
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It's my job to see magical girls off when they're at their end. It's like you said - death is a part of the cycle, and in my universe... I'm the law of cycles.
If I were like you, I would be "Hope."
[ Hm, it's actually her first time saying something like that, although she's been thinking it over since she got here. She shakes her head. ]
No, I'm sure that it's different. But I think it would be nice not to be alone.
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Hope. Suits you, from what I can see. [There's a nod to himself.] Where you're from, as someone watching over the cycles of life and death, do you come from somewhere rebirth exists? Or do magical girls get one shot and at the end that's it?
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I don't know, actually.
The cycle of magical girls used to be to fight witches until they give in to despair and become one themselves. My job is just to erase the witches before they're created, allowing girls to pass away in peace without having to turn on the world they once protected.
But because I'm removed from the cycle itself and exist only as a concept, or as a paradox... I don't really know if something like reincarnation exists. If it does, it's not something I can observe.
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In a case like that...does that mean you're really not real? [Maybe that explains why Madoka's so. Madoka.]
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I'm real. I may not exist within time and space as a person anymore, but I'm real.
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...in our world, people like me are allowed an option of trying to be reborn after they die. Start the cycle all over again, maybe change their powers, live a short life and die again. You do that three times and live a good life all three times, you earn a ticket to a perfect paradise. So you can see why I asked how it works for you.
[Because if Madoka's out of the cycle then does that mean she's bound forever? The magical girls? Everything.]
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[ She doesn't want to minimize someone else's struggle. Just one lifetime can be very difficult, let alone three. ]
But it's nice to know that in the end, people can reach that paradise.
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But. That's depressing, so maybe we should talk about something else? [He's. Trying to be nice.] I'll admit, most of you don't actually stick around long enough to have a real conversation.
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I think everyone is just nervous. We're all trying to balance our time with each other, on top of the gods.
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